zubrowka

Type

Also known as

zubrovka

Description

Proprietary for an infused vodka spirit containing a blade and the flavor, either real or artificial, of bison grass. Formerly a generic spirit like vodka itself, the name rights to zubrowka are now in the hands of one company which had long produced one of the more acclaimed brands of it. Because the bison grass in traditional zubrowka contains coumarin, (an anticoagulant) it was made illegal to import it into the U.S. in 1978. In the late 1990s, one brand with artificial flavoring was produced to fill the void in the face of increasing interest in the spirit. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, which administers American alcohol laws, recently relaxed these restrictions somewhat and the classic brand of zubrowka, Polmos Bialystok, responded with a modified strain of bison grass with lower coumarin levels for the American market. The flavor is virtually indistiguishable from the original, though the color (pale yellow green) is a bit overly-pronounced suggesting some artificial manipulation of the hue.

Flavor

Availability

Limited availability. Produced and sold in Russia and Poland. Known to be distributed in Poland and Russia and parts of Europe. Rarely exported. Regional. Available for on-line ordering in some markets.